The Devil's Game by K.B. Saint

I can honestly say I don't often see such well-crafted debuts. I was lucky enough to be gifted this novel by KB, and I've read it a couple of times already. While there were a few storytelling devices that seemed a little clunky to me, the overall larger arc was very satisfying.

We get this story from three main points of view: Ruby, Messiah, and Hollis. This approach is a bit risky, mostly because I always find it can stunt character development some, and it is easy to start confusing which POV is speaking. I'm glad there is a second book to hopefully give us more insight into the bigger purpose in the new group Ruby befriends. The leader of this group, Preston, is fairly shrouded in mystery. At first, the number of characters introduced was a lot, but I feel the overall role of the people we see, especially within Preston's group, will become more apparent in book two of this series. The two characters I did struggle with the most are some older friends of Ruby's, Tasha and Lucky. They somewhat had a purpose, but then again, I feel like the story could have moved along without them, much how I feel about their purpose in Ruby's life. While there are a few shifts back and forth in time, KB generally does a good job of creating a natural flow between the shifts.

The steam of this book was DIRTY, and I'm here for it, friends! In general, most of the sex scenes weren't overly graphic when compared to a typical contemporary romance, but the situations and partners require a pretty open mind.

If you're looking for more than a cookie-cutter, dark romance, I'd strongly recommend trying out KB and this story!

Character development: 3/5

Dark elements: 4/5

Steamy scenes: 4/5

Overall storyline: 4/5

Triggers: Definitely